FDA: Pregnant women should eat low-mercury seafood

WASHINGTON — Pregnant women are being advised by the government to eat more fish, but there won’t be any labels or signs to let them know which fish have low mercury levels and are safest for dinner.

Without a labeling requirement, the draft advice issued Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency is unlikely to clear up confusion among shoppers about what seafood pregnant women, young children and other vulnerable groups should avoid. Rather they’ll have to rely on memory — should they avoid swordfish? Yes. What about salmon? That’s OK.

Consumer groups have sued the agency, saying the warnings over the last decade haven’t been clear enough about what fish could pose a risk, and it’s hard for people to remember what’s good and what isn’t. Those groups asked for labels on packages or at fish counters.